Chapter 2

2

HARKER

S he’s. Fucking. Perfect.

From golden hair to dainty toe, Penelope Carlisle has set an instant fire ablaze in my heart.

The moment I received the invitation with her bright beaming smile on the front, my cock forced me to leave my dwelling and come to this party. Every fiber of muscle in my body itched and ached, desperate and gnawing for a glimpse of her in the real world. And even now, as I kneel beside her, my heart screams to profess these wants and dark desires.

The sweet concoction of her vanilla perfume tickles my brain. Her soft skin brushes against the back of my fingertips, sending my body into a disgusting spasm. And the warmth of her smile is enough to melt my heart into my guts.

There’s something wrong with me. I’m sure of it. My life is my work, and one glimpse at my business partner’s daughter has turned me into a drooling mess. I’ve always believed that saving myself for the perfect woman was the right thing to do, and now, seeing Penelope Carlisle for the first time in fifteen years, I know my wait was never in vain.

“Hell, old chum, you want to get a room?” Percy snickers from across the table.

I don’t bother even glancing in his direction. Zander and Percy are the same breed of fucked up. They don’t care about the little things in life, only thinking bigger and grander. Well, they can have the fame and fortune that come with their perceived power because my happiness isn’t dictated by shady business and devious dealings.

My happiness is here at Penelope’s side.

“Thank you, Harker,” Penelope whispers. Her bright smile hasn’t faded since I handed her the box.

“You don’t have to thank me. You deserve all the world’s shiny things,” I say. My attempts at poetry make her giggle, and seeing the joy in her deep blue eyes is enough.

“Come, Harker, enough of this. Come sit,” Zander says. I turn to him with a glare. How fucking dare he take me away from my woman when I’ve had so little time with her? And for what? To continue discussing the subtleties of business or his future son?

“I should go,” I whisper and, with a humph, raise from my position. The shadow of my frame engulfs her small body in stature.

I return to my chair and fall into it. The metal screeches across the floor as it slides back.

Now that I’ve had a chance to get close to her, every part of me is hooked on Penelope. I struggled to divide my attention from her before, but it’s only grown more intense now. The baby blue dress with sequins she’s wearing sparkles under the light, her cleavage spilling out of the top. Her freckled cheeks, raised in a near-constant smile, blushes a light shade of pink every time, her nervous eyes catching my own.

What I find most alluring, though, is the way she’s giddily bouncing in her seat from even the smallest attention. How starved for affection has she become if a small gesture like mine sends her over the moon? What torture have the pricks to my side subjected her to, for her to feel so small that a simple birthday gift drives her wild?

But it wasn’t a small gift, was it? To the untrained eye, perhaps it may seem like nothing more than a trinket. To me, it’s a confession of my primal cravings. A testament to my deepest desire to have her at my side as my queen. My goddess.

“You shouldn’t stroke the girl’s ego too hard, Harker,” Zander says, ashing his cigarette into the empty chalice.

“Shut your fucking mouth,” I bite back. If I had a moment to think before I spoke, I’d have approached it with more tact. But his words send me into an instant rage.

“What did you just say to me?” he asks in an aggravated whisper.

“Shut your fucking mouth,” I repeat. “This tough guy attitude you walk around with might work on the lowly scores you have attending this party, but don’t forget your place.”

Zander’s eyes narrow to slits. He stares me down for a while, with stern annoyance sprawled across his face. After a while, he nods and the aggrieved fa?ade cracks into a smile.

“Are you really going to take a stand on this hill?” he asks. “And for some bitch you don’t even know?”

“How could you say that to me?” Penelope shouts from across the table. “I’m your daughter.”

Zander’s eyes widen, realizing she’d been listening in all along. The guests stop what they’re doing once more and turn to the table with curious eyes, eager to get an ounce of drama.

“I can’t believe you,” Penelope spits. “I’ve put up with so much bullshit, and you couldn’t hold it together for one day? You couldn’t just pretend that today was about me? One last time before your son comes into this world?” Tears well in her eyes, and the cheeks that were once rosy with joy are now a deep red with fury.

I should step in and say something, but I don’t. This is her time to find some cathartic release after years of abuse under this dickhead.

Go off and unleash hell, my queen.

“You’re causing a scene on such a special day,” Zander hisses.

“It’s supposed to be my special day,” Penelope sighs. I can hear the heartbreak in her words. I want to throw myself over the table and take her in my arms. Stroke her head and whisper that everything is going to be okay. She doesn’t deserve this.

Penelope Carlisle should be adorned and worshiped. She shouldn’t be standing in the shadow of a terrible man who can’t see what’s right in front of him.

“My dear,” Zander says grimly, “there really isn’t anything special about you at all.”

My fists ball so tightly, I can feel the nails cutting into my palm. The way he speaks to Penelope infuriates me. I should take his tongue for speaking so crass toward her, and watch him scream his apologies in garbled, blood-soaked squeals.

“Talk to her like that again, Zander, and you’ll regret it,” I finally step in. The fight has shattered Penelope’s spirit. It’s my turn to fight as her loyal acolyte.

“Why don’t you stay out of family matters, Har?—”

“Say another word, Percy, and I’ll tear your heart out and feed it to you.” I cut Percy off, but my eyes never break from Zander.

It takes a lot to get me angry, especially the later in life I get. But when I’m angry, both the Carlisle brothers know to back down.

“If you’re so infatuated with her, why don’t you take her then? She’s no use to me,” Zander scoffs, but it’s quickly followed by a nervous gulp. “Take the burden off my hands.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time, would it?” I eye him squarely.

“No, I don’t suppose it would.” Zander’s face twists grimly. Living this life of luxury offers men like him an escape from the real world. They forget their roots and stand firm in the belief that the past has no quarrel with the present or future. “But those aren’t dinner table conversations, are they?”

“Why not? Afraid of the skeletons in your closet?” A grin creeps across my face. I turn away from him, and over to Penelope. “Would you like to take him up on the offer?” I ask, praying for a yes. If she gives me a chance to show her what she deserves, there will never be another doubt in her mind about where she belongs.

Penelope shouldn’t be at the bottom of the rung to a family that doesn’t want her.

“I—” She looks between Zander and me. “I do.”

“You what?” Zander snarls.

“I want to go with you,” she says loud and clear.

Zander slams his palms into the table. “You want to go with him? Abandon your home on the day of your brother’s birth?”

Penelope nods and stands from her seat. “I’ll pack my things.”

And then she’s gone, and I’m left basking in the glow of her perfection as she wades through the crowd.